


You'll Say It Instead

by harveyberlin



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Break Up, Domestic Fluff, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:21:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28910769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harveyberlin/pseuds/harveyberlin
Summary: This is the sequel to "Pancakes for Dinner"
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	You'll Say It Instead

**Author's Note:**

> this is a time jump of 2 years after Pancakes for Dinner ends, so if you haven't read that, I would recommend reading it first!

Ricky heard his doorbell ring incessantly and cursed whoever thought to wake him up at 9 in the morning on a Saturday. He trudged out of his room, not bothering to put on a shirt. If someone was going to wake him up from sacred sleep, they had no room to complain about his physical appearance. Angrily, he swung the door open. 

“He broke up with me,” the pouty brunette said after a breath, her finger retreating from his doorbell. He took in her appearance. Her hair was in a ponytail, but it most likely hadn’t seen a brush all day. Dark circles lined her eyes which were wet with fresh tears. 

“Nini,” he pulled her into a hug immediately and closed the door behind her. The girl was still in her pajamas, having only thrown on a coat before driving to his house. As soon as she felt her friend’s comfort and embrace, she was overcome with all the tears and emotions she had been holding in since she got off the phone. Ricky led her inside and sat them both on the couch, not letting go of her. “It’s okay, Neens, you’re going to be okay.” The girl felt her throat close up as sobs racked through her body. 

It was painful for Ricky to see his best friend like this, not knowing how to help or what to say. All he could do was hold her in his arms and rub her back gently. He clenched his fist at the thought that anyone could cause her this much pain. As soon as he knew she would be okay, Mark was going to get his face bashed in. 

“Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?” Nini sniffled, wiping her sleeve across her face. She felt his chest bounce up and down with laughter at her question. 

“Sorry I thought you were going to be an annoying neighbor or something,” he said into her hair, leaving a soft kiss before leaning back to look at her. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“About you not wearing a shirt?”

“Nini,” he sighed with a smile.

“Sorry, um, not really. I could use some cuddles right now,” she looked at him with her glossy doe-eyes. He didn’t even need to give a verbal answer; he simply leaned back far enough to lay down on the couch, pulling her on top of him. She placed her head on his chest, his arms wrapping around her lower back. That’s how they stayed until Nini felt his breathing even out underneath her and she looked to see his eyes closed and soft snores escaping his lips. Smiling, she buried her head into the crook of his neck and let sleep overtake her as well. 

* * *

“I’m ready to talk,” Nini spoke up. The two had been eating away at a tub of ice cream, an episode of Brooklyn 99 played on the tv screen, although it might as well have been white noise since neither of them were paying it much attention. She had been mostly staring off at the screen while her mind ran through endless thoughts, replaying Mark’s words over and over again in her head, looking for words she could have said, things she could’ve done, anything to save their relationship. Ricky’s eyes kept darting between the girl and the tv. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing or cross any lines in fear that she would shut him out. 

“I’m all ears, whenever you’re comfortable,” he lay his hand over hers, the other hand put down the spoon of ice cream he was holding. 

“He texted me last night, he was drunk with his friends, so most of it was incoherent, but it was a bunch of stuff about how he’s tired and doesn’t feel like our relationship is going anywhere,” she let go of a shaky breath. 

“What? He drunk texted you? What a dick I-” Ricky was interrupted by Nini squeezing his hand.

“Wait, so I didn’t see those until I woke up this morning and I called him. He asked me if I saw us getting married in the future, and I just- I just couldn’t give him the answer he wanted. I mean, he was right; I don’t see it going anywhere, but we’re so young! Who even thinks about marriage now? So he- he dumped me. He said he feels like he’s wasting his time in a relationship that feels like it’s hitting a dead end. Now I’m here,” she looked up at him. Her eyes were swollen, but there were no tears; any tears she needed to let go were gone, and now she just felt numb and empty. 

“I’m gonna kill him,” Ricky clenched his jaw angrily.

“No, it’s not his fault. I just- we were together for almost two years and now it’s over, just like that.”

“I know it’s hard, no break up is easy, but I can promise you, you’re gonna be okay. Take your time, it’s okay to cry it out, but at the end of the day, you don’t need him or anyone else for that matter. You’re Nina Salazar-Roberts, and you’re the best person I know.”

“Even when I’m all snotty and gross?” She laughed.

“Even then,” Ricky wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug.

“I still love him,” she mumbled into his chest as another tear threatened to fall from her eye. 

“That’s normal, you were together for a long time,” he rubbed her arm gently, “I’m sure he still loves you too. Relationships just don’t work out sometimes.”

“Can I stay over tonight?” She sniffled. The corners of Ricky’s lips turned up. As much as he hated seeing her like this, sad and hurting, he loved that she came to him for comfort. He loved that he could be there for her.

“That was a stupid question, of course you can stay, Neens.”

Once night time came around, Nini made her way under the covers wearing one of Ricky’s old t-shirts and sweatpants. She pulled them up to her chest and watched as Ricky walked out of the bathroom. Her eyes gravitated down to his bare chest. It wasn’t the first time she had seen him shirtless, hell, he had answered the door that way that morning, but it was as if her point of view had shifted. 

_ Eyebrows furrowed and hands shaking, Nini waited for Mark to pick up the phone. One ring, two rings, three. He didn’t answer. She looked down at the screen and noted it was still barely 9, and judging by the timestamps on the texts, it wasn’t likely he was awake. However, she couldn’t wait any longer; she called again.  _

_ One ring, two rings, three.  _

_ “Damn it, Mark, answer the fucking phone.” _

_ One ring, two rings, three. _

_ “Hello?” A groggy voice answered on the other line.  _

_ “Hey, it’s me, Nini.” _

_ “Nini, babe, hi, you kinda woke me up. You okay?” She scoffed silently, ‘babe.’  _

_ “Sorry, it seemed like you had quite the night,” she said hesitantly. _

_ “Um yeah it was just me and the guys. Can we um, can we talk later? I got in kind of late last night,” he said, she could hear the yawn in his voice.  _

_ “Do you remember any of the texts you sent me last night?” The line was quiet for a few moments.  _

_ “Shit,” Nini assumed he had just read over everything he sent her.  _

_ “Is that really what you think?” _

_ “Nini, I was drunk and it was loud and crowded-” _

_ “That’s not what I asked. Do you actually feel that way?” _

_ “I mean, am I wrong?” _

_ “What?” _

_ “This isn’t how this was supposed to go,” Mark let out a deep sigh.  _

_ “How what was supposed to go?” Her breath caught in her throat. She knew they had stepped into a dangerous territory they couldn’t retreat from. If she was being honest, things had felt off for a while now, but she thought that if she ignored it long enough, it would just become the new normal.  _

_ “Nini, I love you, I really do, but I can’t keep doing this with you when your heart isn’t in it. I mean, we talk now and there’s no spark. I feel like I’m talking to Dave or Andrew. We hardly go out on dates, and when we do, it’s always dinner and movies and small talk. It just feels like we’re riding the same track again and again but the gas is running out.” _

_ “What? That’s not fair, it’s just- it’s just a slump. Every relationship has them-” _

_ “Nini, I’m ready to propose to you. I would drop down on one knee right now if I didn’t think it would make you run away. Can you honestly tell me you wouldn’t?” _

_ “I-” She was at a loss for words. They were only 23; marriage wasn’t even in the periphery of Nini’s mind right now.  _

_ “That’s what I thought.” He let out a short, bitter laugh. _

_ “You can’t just spring that on a girl, Mark! We just got out of college, I don’t even have a steady job yet. You can’t honestly expect me to answer that,” Nini stuttered, overwhelmed. _

_ “If you were in love with me, you could,” Mark sighed, “Listen, I think we both know this relationship isn’t going anywhere. Hell, it was doomed from the beginning. You’re never gonna be able to fully love someone because your heart, at least part of it, is already claimed territory. I was an idiot for thinking I could change that.” _

_ “What on earth are you talking about?” She shook her head in confusion.  _

_ “Don’t play stupid. You already know what I’m talking about. The sooner you admit it to yourself, the better. Don’t drag people along in your web.” _

_ She blinked hard a couple times, her eyes on the brink of tears. She couldn’t even come up with a good enough answer to combat anything he was saying. It was apparent he had been storing this within for quite a while now, ready for the perfect moment to explode. “So what? We’re done?” _

_ “Yeah, Nini, we’re done.” _

* * *

Without opening her eyes, Nini turned on her side in an attempt to move out of the sun’s pathway, the same sun that was glaring straight into her eyes on that Sunday morning. Before she could fully reposition herself, she collided with a warm body next to her. 

“Morning,” he croaked out, his voice very hoarse.

“Good morning, sorry I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m not used to having another body in the bed with me,” Nini chuckled, a yawn overtaking her. 

“Considering you’ve spent more nights here than your own apartment for the past few months, I find that very hard to believe,” Ricky laughed. Sitting up, he reached his arms up, stretching out his chest and back. Nini stared at the motion of his backside muscles as if it was physically impossible for her to tear her eyes away. Ever since the night of her break up, she had started noticing little things about Ricky. The way he was more toned than she would have thought, the way his eyes crinkle in the corners when he smiles, the way his fingers and palms engulfed hers when they were holding hands. They had been spending most of their days together. Since his house was so close to her office, she would often stop by for dinner on the days she went into work. Oftentimes, their nights of cooking and eating and watching movies ran too late which meant Nini would sleep over. It was their new normal. 

“Please, you love having me here,” she threw a pillow at his back, “if it wasn’t for me, you would be eating pasta every night.”

“Hmm I do like your cooking,” he pretended to think for a moment, “nevermind, I take it back, I guess you’ll just have to move in,” he laughed, getting up from the bed to take a shower. Nini tossed her head back onto the pillow, but her mind was completely awake now. Glimpses and flashes of her and Ricky living together infiltrated her thoughts. She pictured coming home to him every night, dancing together around the kitchen while cooking dinner, early Sunday morning breakfasts, the promise of being lulled to sleep in his arms every night. A smile graced her face as she built the fantasy in her head. It was a future she found herself yearning for. 

Oh.

Suddenly the bathroom door swung open revealing a freshly showered Ricky with sweatpants and wet hair. “I’ll start on the coffee while you get ready,” he said nonchalantly, making his way to the kitchen. Nini shook her head, attempting to rid herself of any romantic thoughts she may have had about her best friend, but it was no use. During the past 6 months they had spent together, she found herself gravitating towards him. It was like he was a drug that she couldn’t escape. It was a truth she had always known, no matter how hard she tried to repress it, but now that the gate had been unlocked, there was no going back. She was in love with Ricky Bowen. This was the feeling Mark had been talking about, the feeling of wanting to spend all your time with someone, to build a life with them. 

She walked into the kitchen, taking a seat on the bar stool. He slid over a coffee mug with the drink made to her preference. 

“Thanks,” she took a small sip, letting the warm liquid glide down her throat.

“I have to run a few errands today, and I know you’re tied up in the evening with your moms, so how about we just do pizza tonight? We can order in and watch a movie?” Ricky asked.

“Sounds perfect,” Nini hid her smile behind her cup. She liked the expectation that they would be eating dinner together. They spent the rest of the morning in a comfortable silence sometimes broken by conversations surrounding their days. It was serene and familiar. It was a feeling she wanted to hold on to. 

* * *

Nini walked into the apartment to find Ricky uncorking a wine bottle. She smiled at his face of pure concentration.

“Wine? Seems a little fancy for pizza,” she noted.

“We’re adults now, we make the rules. Who says we can’t have some wine with our cheap, greasy pizza?” Ricky looked at her pointedly, to which she nodded. He finally got the bottle open and poured them each a glass while they waited on the food delivery. 

Nini’s head was on his lap as they recounted a memory from their high school drama production. They were each about two glasses in, which was not much, but it meant every story was just that much funnier.

“I forgot about that!” Nini shut her eyes in laughter, “I can’t believe he said that to a teacher!” They both were laughing when the doorbell rang. She sat up so he could get the door.

“I’m so hungry,” Ricky lifted the lid off the pizza box and handed Nini a paper plate and napkin. 

“Me too.” 

The rest of the night was filled with movies, pizza, laughing, and more wine. Nini looked through her phone looking for the song she wanted to play since her phone was hooked up to the speaker while Ricky was pouring them each one more glass. 

“Well, that’s the end of that bottle,” he waved the empty wine container. 

“Here, I’ll throw it out,” Nini reached for the glass and walked it over to the kitchen. “Shit!” She uttered right before Ricky heard the noise of glass shattering. 

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just get me a broom so I can sweep this up.” After all the glass was in the trash, they both sat on the couch exhausted. 

“Neens, you’re bleeding,” Ricky said pointing to the side of her calf. There was a small cut. 

“It’s no big deal,” she waved it off. 

“No, stay here,” he ran off towards the bathroom and came back a moment later with a bright purple bandaid. He sat himself in front of her on the floor, reaching for her leg. After wiping away at the wound with a cleaning wipe, he gently stuck on the bandaid. “Purple, your favorite color,” he smiled up at her. 

“I love you,” she said before her eyes widened and she froze. She hadn’t meant to say it, but he looked so proud of himself after caring for her tiny injury, and he was smiling at her, and she said it. 

“I love you too.” This was it, he gave her a wide open escape route. It was as if the universe had saved her from her stupid mistake. 

“No, like I’m in love with you,” and yet her mouth took the reins once again. 

“What?” Ricky’s mouth was agape. 

“I, Nini Salazar Roberts, love you, Ricky Bowen. Like the stupid, head over heels type of love. And I know we’re supposed to be best friends, and I know that I probably just ruined everything between us, but I just couldn’t keep it in anymore. At first I just thought it was because I was newly dumped and you were being nice, but then time kept going and my feelings? They didn’t change, and that’s when I realized that part of me has always had these feelings, feelings for you, really strong good feelings-”

“Nini-” Ricky interrupted her hesitantly.

“No, please, just let me speak. These past few months have been so great, but every time it starts to feel real and domestic, I have to scold my brain because it’s not. At the end of the day we’re just friends, but I don’t want to be, Ricky, I want it to be real. I want-” before she could ramble any longer, Ricky swiftly pulled her in by her waist and crashed his lips onto hers. The kiss was quick, much quicker than either of them would have liked. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he whispered, his face still close enough that she could feel his breath fan her face. 

“Really?” She pulled back slightly in shock, but her smile was growing. 

“Neens, I’m so into you, it’s stupid. I think about you all the time, I want you with me all the time. You’ve been here pretty much every day, and I’m not sick of you, in fact, I’m completely and totally in love with you.” He brushed his thumb across her cheek, giving her a soft smile. She surged forward, connecting their lips once more. This time, the kiss was deep and passionate and it encapsulated all the pining, anticipation, and tension pent up over the course of their friendship. Every missed ‘I love you’ was communicated through their lips.

“I don’t think I could ever get tired of that,” she whispered in awe, stealing another peck.

“I hope not because I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon,” he lifted her over onto his lap, one hand sweeping her hair behind her ear. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she smiled, ecstatic to finally be saying those words out loud. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank y'all so much for reading and engaging :)


End file.
